


Summer of '59

by justbygrace



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, criminals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-20
Updated: 2017-04-20
Packaged: 2018-10-21 10:41:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10683636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justbygrace/pseuds/justbygrace
Summary: The Doctor & Rose as criminals. You have been warned.





	Summer of '59

**Author's Note:**

> Another of the first five fics I ever wrote.

It was the summer of 1959, and the heat had reached record highs, but it was not the only thing keeping people indoors. That summer two prolific serial killers took London by storm. They were brutal, striking in the dark, each kill both artistic and efficient, the bodies displayed provocatively, albeit poetically. At each scene, prominently displayed, would be the signature: "Love The Doctor and Bad Wolf" written on the wall in flawless script, etched with a brush dipped in the victim's blood. The police were left with baffling clues, an ever-widening circle of suspects, and very little evidence: at one scene a single blonde hair, at another a perfect drop of blood, each obviously planted. But it was 1959 and well before the advent of the Internet and easily traded information and they had nothing to which to compare evidence, let alone the ability to test for DNA with any accuracy. 

It didn't take detectives long to piece together the fact that the kills were only of those who had harmed others: the pedophile allowed to walk free, the rapist with victims too frightened to testify, the murderer out on bail. The public was in an uproar, divided over what they wanted. Some took the position that the kills were still murder, no matter who they were destroying. But there were many who alleged that the kills were justified, warranted, needed; popular opinion was that they were doing what the police would not do, and the majority felt safer with the knowledge that at least _someone_ was dealing out justice. Stories about them, about this Doctor and Bad Wolf, were wildly popular, magazines and periodicals flew off the counters filled with sordid tales of love and romance amongst the bloodshed. The rumors and embellishments went from the mundane - a hit team for hire, to the extraordinary - alien teen lovers forced apart by angry parents. London loved them every bit as much as they feared them.

Taking the social sector of London by storm that summer were the illustrious Mr. and Mrs. John and Rose Tyler-Smith, the talk of the town and the envy of all who met them. They lived in the most beautiful house in the city, a massive affair of stone and metal and wood that took up an entire block, built to order by the couple and completed shortly before they had arrived in town the previous spring. Stories of their history were every bit as fanciful and exaggerated as the story of the other current famed London duo, but the couple themselves had little to say on the subject, aside from vague hints at a life of leisure and travel. John was well-known for his seemingly unending gob, but he never appeared to say anything at all and Rose's enigmatic smiles were scarcely more revealing. 

Despite all of this, the city adored them. There was hardly a public event the two of them were not privy too, nary a gathering for which they did not receive an invitation. Women sighed over Rose's choice of clothing and men cursed John's obvious and very public devotion to his young wife. It didn't take long before John was being asked to consult with the police and he was soon a regular feature at Scotland Yard and could usually be found sticking his long nose into the Doctor and Bad Wolf's fresh crime scenes. If there were rumors that John was a madman performing science experiments in the basement or that Rose had a husband in America, no one put too much stock in them. The fact that none but the two of them had ever seen the inside of their mansion was considered charming, if a bit eccentric.

As July gave way to August and the heat of the city started to become unbearable, the number of kills increased, each one more vicious and bloodthirsty than the last. Detectives and police alike were growing more and more frustrated, the hope of capturing the perpetrators seemed a distant and unattainable dream. The public only grew more appreciative, especially as it became apparent that the duo was not straying from their chosen victim type; as long as a person had not committed a major crime they could rest easily at night. Then came the kill that changed everything. It was a man of considerable means and connection with no major crimes that could be pinned to him. Some argued that it was still completely justified because he was well-known for being a little too ardent with his affections towards the ladies, but the public became a little less comfortable, a little more wary. Shortly afterwards a young woman visiting from the French court was brutally murdered. It was their bloodiest kill yet, and there was no one who could find any blemish on her record. The tides began to change, the same crowds who had been lauding the Doctor and Bad Wolf began calling for their blood. 

By the beginning of September, the city was on the edge of full-blown hysteria. General crime was up eighty percent and no one slept peacefully, particularly anyone in law enforcement on whom the city was blaming everything. In the midst of the general chaos, Mr. and Mrs. Tyler-Smith sent out an invitation for an exclusive party at their mansion. Notwithstanding the air of panic, everyone was eager to attend and in the days leading up to the gathering, gossip, especially in the higher social circles, centered on the Tyler-Smiths. When the guests arrived, they were shocked to discover that though there was a vast array of food and staff, the Tyler-Smiths themselves were nowhere to be found. It did not take long for general word to spread that everyone ought to come to the Library immediately. Once inside, the guests stood in silent horror, staring at the white-washed wall on which was etched in flawless, blood red script: "Thanks for playing." It took several weeks for the city to calm down and though the Tyler-Smith mansion was immediately set for demolition, it would be years before their legacy was forgotten or for the rumors to completely die away.

Three weeks later a couple moved into a grand home in Barcelona, Spain and introduced themselves to their neighbors as Mr. and Mrs. Jack and Violet Taylor-Smith. Three days after that the local constable was summoned to a crime scene of a well-known rapist out on a technicality. On the wall above the corpse were the words: "Love the Doctor and Bad Wolf."


End file.
